


'tis the damn season

by bavariansugarcookie



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blow Jobs, Childhood Friends, Existential Angst, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Soft boys being soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:00:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28229526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bavariansugarcookie/pseuds/bavariansugarcookie
Summary: Shiro's done everything he was supposed to do - got good grades, did a ton of extracurriculars, went to his dream college. But after moving halfway across the country for a job - he has to pay his student loans somehow - he's not sure what he wants anymore. Until he goes home for Christmas and finds out Keith is back in town.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 32
Kudos: 114





	'tis the damn season

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first official song fic I think, but I was listening to Taylor Swift's new album and this au got stuck in my head and wouldn't leave until I wrote it down. I hope you enjoy!

_So we could call it even_   
_You could call me babe for the weekend_   
_'Tis the damn season, write this down_   
_I'm stayin' at my parents' house_   
_And the road not taken looks real good now_   
_And it always leads to you in my hometown_

_-'tis the damn season, Taylor Swift_

Shiro did everything he was supposed to - got good grades, went to his dream college, made it to the top of his class. 

And then graduation loomed on the horizon and he found himself staring down the barrel of crushing student loan debt and a shitty job market.

So he took the first job with a decent salary and moved halfway across the country. He tries to get out more, to make friends, but it's hard in a big city. No one seems to understand him. Not like Keith.

His mom started trying to get him to move home since before he left, but it felt like admitting defeat. He was signing away a third of each paycheck for a piece of paper that's sitting in the closet gathering dust. He couldn't stomach seeing all the familiar faces, and the gossip.

Holidays were hard. It was great good to hug his Mom and see Baba and Jiji, but the weight of expectations and the guilt threatened to crush him. And all the questions - when are you going to move home? When are you going to meet a nice boy and settle down (and give us grandchildren)?

And Shiro did have any answers. He felt like he should, but he didn't.

***

Mom was bickering with Aunt Susan again, and Shiro was hiding in the kitchen, snacking on the cookie dough that his cousins made and then abandoned in favor of playing video games. 

Minae walked in, grabbed a spoon and joined him.

"So..." she said, grabbing the sprinkles to sprinkle on top of her cookie dough.

Shiro raised an eyebrow. "So?"

She leaned against the counter. "Keith's in town."

"He is?" Shiro asked, trying to keep his voice level. Based on Minae's knowing look, he failed.

She scooped another bite of cookie dough. "Yep. Saw him at the grocery store." She gave him a look. "He asked if you were coming home for Christmas."

Shiro flushed and Minae raised an eyebrow, making the face that made her look like Shiro's twin instead of his younger sister.

"You gonna call him?" she asked and Shiro huffed out a sigh.

"You're worse than Mom," he said, with no heat in it, and she laughed. 

"Speaking of Mom..." she said, dropping her voice to a whisper. "I heard her gossiping with her new coworker about setting you up with her son."

"Oh God," Shiro said, and Minae nodded. 

"He's sort of cute, but he's so boring, Shiro. I almost fell asleep when he came for Friendsgiving."

"Yeah, that's another thing, since when does Mom do Friendsgiving?" Shiro asked. 

"Since her co-workers have kids of marriageable age."

"Ugh," Shiro groaned, and Minae patted his shoulder sympathetically.

"You should text Keith."

"Yep," Shiro said, pulling out his phone.

***

"Takashi, don't forget about the party tonight!" His mom called as he threw his coat on and grabbed his keys. "Sandra's son Chris is coming, I think you'd really get along!"

He and Minae traded looks. "Ok, Mom!" he called back, before stepping out into the cold outside.

He definitely wasn't in California anymore.

The neighbourhood looked different than last year - the Davidsons had painted their house yellow, the Patels had a new arbor, with rose vines clinging stubbornly on despite the cold. 

But when he turned the corner, Keith's house looked just the same as it always had.

Warm light coming from the windows, a wreath on the door, the peek of a Christmas tree through the living room window. Probably with the same ornaments he and Keith had made at school when they were little.

And standing on the porch, waiting for him - Keith.

Keith waved and Shiro caught himself grinning, waving as he jogged the last few feet up to Keith's house.

Keith smiled, the small, private smile just for him, and Shiro suddenly felt warm all the way down to his toes.

Keith ran down the porch steps and threw his arms around Shiro's shoulders, pulling him into a tight hug. "It's great to see you," he murmured, his voice low and graveled out, and Shiro's breath got caught in his throat.

He'd almost forgotten how devastating Keith was

"Y-you too," he said, smiling down at Keith, hoping the cold was a good excuse for his pink cheeks. 

Keith leaned back, tilting his head back to look at him. "You look like you're in dire need of a burger."

Shiro laughed. "How'd you know?"

Keith grinned, dragging Shiro down the driveway. "Just a feeling," he said, throwing open the door of his subaru and climbing in.

"She's still going, huh?" Shiro asked, sliding into the passenger seat.

"Yep," Keith said, running his hand over the dash. "Red's not giving up yet."

Keith drove down to Lou's and the booths were all full, of course, so they ordered their cheesy Westerns to go and huddled inside while they waited. As soon as Lou called out their order number, they grabbed their food and ran out to the car.

Shiro ripped open the bag, suddenly ravenous. He took a bite and let his head fall back on the headrest with a groan.

"Good?" Keith asked around a mouthful of his own burger. 

Shiro nodded, taking another bite. He didn't eat meat often anymore, but he could never pass up a Lou's burger.

They ate in silence after that out of necessity - the cheesy westerns were a race against the clock, to see if you could eat the burger without the egg yolk breaking and dripping all over your shirt. 

Once the burgers were gone, Shiro nibbled at his fries while they talked about everything and nothing, and Shiro marveled that no matter how long they had been apart, they could just click back together. Like nothing had changed.

Shiro was in the middle of a story about his roommate's cat’s long con to get fed 4 times a day when his phone buzzed.

"Oh it's Minae," he said. "Mom probably wants me to come home for that Christmas thing tonight."

Keith raised an eyebrow. "Your mom has *another* Christmas thing?"

Shiro laughed. "I know, you'd think Christmas Eve, Christmas morning brunch, AND Christmas day would be enough."

He shrugged. "But Minae says she's trying to set me up with some boring guy named Chris, so I don't mind being a little late."

Keith frowned. "Wait, his name is Chris?" Shiro nodded and Keith said "my mom tried to set _me_ up with some super boring guy named Chris."

Shiro laughed "Are you serious?"

"Yeah! His grandma plays mahjong with my grandma, or something." Keith's eyes widened. "Do you think it's the same guy?"

"Only one way to find out!" Shiro said with a grin. "Want to come to a Christmas party?"

***

They walked into the living room and Keith swatted at Shiro’s arm “It’s him! It’s the same guy!” Shiro bit back a laugh, just in time for his Mom to see Keith.

“Keith! So good to see you!” she said, coming up and hugging him. “I thought you guys were out of town today!”

“Just my parents, they went to go pick up my Grandma because she was visiting with my Aunt,” Keith said. “I was going to go, but she packed so many suitcases they decided she might need the whole backseat to herself.”

Shiro’s mom chuckled. “That sounds like her. Well, I’m so glad you were able to stop by, I think you know everyone here…” She looked over her shoulder. “Oh, except for Chris.”

“We’ve met,” Keith said, waving. Chris waved back sheepishly.

“Looks like you’re not the only one playing matchmaker,” Shiro said softly and his Mom scoffed.

"Please, you know I wouldn’t do that!” she protested. "I just thought you would get along!" Minae shook her head from across the room, and Shiro bit his lip so he wouldn't laugh.

“It’s not your fault, Mrs. S,” Keith said. “We put two and two together.”

Shiro’s mom sighed and patted Keith’s shoulder on her way back to the kitchen. “Well, your Mom successfully convinced you to move home, maybe you can talk to Takashi for me, hmm?”

Shiro looked over at Keith. “Wait, you moved back?”

Keith nodded. “Yeah, just a couple weeks ago. My parents are trying to finish up a room for my Grandma so she can move in, and I can work remotely so I came down to help out.”

Shiro swallowed. "That's great, Keith,” he murmured, feeling wrong footed somehow. Not being home when Keith was far away was one thing, but being gone when he was _here_...

Keith shrugged. “I mean, it’ll be good. Not exciting like California, though.”

Shiro huffed out a laugh. “Trust me, it’s really not as exciting as you think.”

Keith raised an eyebrow just as Minae came over with Chris. “So, Chris and I have been talking, and we’ve decided that the only course of action is a Bachelor style competition, where you fight for his hand.”

Keith’s eyebrows shot up and Shiro whispered, “Minae?” but Chris just laughed.

“Sorry,” he said. “I moved here to be closer to my parents and my Mom is _very_ concerned that all the gay guys in the area are taken, so she’s made it a mission to set me up.”

Keith and Shiro traded looks. “Can’t imagine what that’s like,” Shiro joked, and they all laughed. 

“Well, if we’re going to start our competition, I think we’ll need more wine,” Minae said, and the boys all nodded. 

“Yes, please,” Keith and Shiro said simultaneously, and they all trooped off to the kitchen for some much-needed refreshments. 

The party was actually pretty fun after that - Chris was pretty nice, and he and Keith and Minae filled Shiro in on all the local gossip he’d been missing out on. As the party was winding down, Keith leaned into Shiro’s shoulder, blinking sleepily. “Tired?” Shiro asked.

Keith nodded. “Can’t drive home yet though,” he said, looking down at the glass of spiked eggnog in his hand.

“I’ll walk you home,” Shiro offered. “It’s just around the block, and you can pick your car up tomorrow.”

Keith peered up at Shiro. “Are you doing anything tomorrow?” Shiro shook his head and Keith leaned into him again. “Maybe we could go down to the lake?”

Shiro smiled, remembering long hazy summer days with Keith at the lake. “I haven’t been there in years.”

“Let’s do it!” Keith said, and Shiro nodded, feeling warm and pleased. They put on their coats and Shiro walked him home - stopping at the corner just like they had when they were in school, and waiting for one last wave from Keith before turning back, excited for tomorrow.

***

Shiro slept in late for the first time in… he didn’t know how long. Minae knocked on his door and said, “Shiro! Keith’s here!” and Shiro bolted out of bed, threw on a pair of jeans and a sweater, tried unsuccessfully to flatten his hair, and ran downstairs. 

Keith smiled up at him, looking perfect, as always, and Shiro reached up and fussed with his bangs. Keith held out a cup of coffee and Shiro moaned. “You’re my hero.”

Keith laughed, his cheeks still pink from his walk. “Come on, Shiro, your chariot awaits.”

They drove down all the back streets, looking at all the Christmas decorations - Mrs. Sanderson’s collection of inflatable penguins looked a little grim in their little deflated puddles of plastic, but Mrs. Gomez had put lights and glass ornaments on the big pine tree in her front yard. The ornaments caught the light and Shiro smiled, looking over at Keith, singing along with whatever song was on his playlist. 

Eventually they reached the lake and they walked along the shore, skipping rocks and climbing trees, until the cold settled in and they ran back to the car to warm up. 

“I probably should’ve worn gloves,” Shiro said, blowing into his hands to warm them up.

“Oh, here,” Keith said, taking Shiro’s hands in his. They were so warm that Shiro gasped, and Keith looked up at him, startled. 

“Keith…” Shiro whispered, staring into those mesmerizing eyes, so blue they almost looked purple in the sunlight. Keith’s eyes dropped down to Shiro’s lips and Shiro found himself leaning in, unable to avoid Keith’s orbit any longer.

Keith’s breath ghosted over Shiro’s cheek, and then his lips were on his, and Shiro melted into the kiss. Keith gasped against his lips, and Shiro licked into his mouth, earning a pleased groan. 

Keith clambered over the center console and fell into Shiro’s lap, kissing him as if he were starving for it. Shiro moaned into the kiss, overwhelmed.

Keith ran his fingers through Shiro’s hair. “Oh, babe, you’re shivering,” he whispered, and then he froze, looking at Shiro like a deer in the headlights. Shiro leaned forward and left a kiss at the corner of his mouth. 

“It’s ok, I - I like it,” he murmured.

Keith whimpered and kissed Shiro again, so desperately that their teeth knocked together. Shiro reached up and tangled his fingers in Keith’s hair, pulling him close and deepening the kiss. Keith groaned, tilting his head back so Shiro could plant open-mouthed kisses down his throat. “Take me home?” Shiro murmured, and Keith stared down at him, eyes wide and disbelieving.

“Yeah,” he whispered. “Yeah, Shiro.”

Time blurred after that. He could only focus on Keith - Keith driving with his left hand on the wheel, his right hand on Shiro’s thigh, sliding higher and higher until Shiro thought he would _die_. Pulling up to Keith’s house and running up the stairs, leaving their coats by the door. Keith grabbed his hand, dragging him along the hallway to his bedroom.

They left a trail of clothes from Keith’s door to his bed, and Shiro wrapped his arms around Keith and fell back into bed with a laugh. Keith rolled his eyes, but he was smiling as he leaned in to kiss Shiro. 

Shiro hummed into the kiss, whimpering when Keith’s hands traced his shoulders, his chest, his belly. His fingers skated around his cock, down to his thighs, and Shiro groaned. “Keith - please,” he moaned.

Keith kissed his nose. “It’s ok babe, I got you,” he said, propping himself up on one elbow and rummaging through his bedside drawer, which gave Shiro a moment to recover from the casual devastation of _babe_ in Keith’s voice, in Keith’s bed. Keith sat up, holding a condom and bottle of lube up, triumphant, and Shiro giggled. 

Keith laughed, his cheeks flushing a bright red as he bumped his shoulder against Shiro’s. “Shut up,” he murmured, and Shiro cooed at him, kissing him gently. Keith nipped at his bottom lip as he ran his hand down Shiro’s thighs until he was shivering in anticipation. 

As soon as Keith’s hands were on him Shiro cried out, his back arching off the bed. He was totally unprepared for Keith to take him apart so completely, and if “babe” had been devastating, this was going to _ruin_ him _._

Keith left sloppy kisses along Shiro’s hip, and when he looked up at Shiro, with his lips kiss-swollen and his hair wild, Shiro was sure he must be dreaming. But then Keith was buried inside him and all he could do was clutch at Keith as he wrecked him. 

Keith leaned down to kiss him and Shiro whined, too overwhelmed to be embarrassed as he kissed Keith desperately. Keith ran his hand down Shiro’s side soothingly and then reached up to cup Shiro’s cheek. “Awww, baby,” he crooned, and Shiro keened as he came undone. 

“Shiro -” Keith said, his voice rough, and Shiro looped his legs around Keith’s waist.

“Stay,” he whispered, and Keith fell apart, collapsing on top of Shiro with a groan. 

Shiro hummed, cradling Keith close, letting himself drift. He heard Keith’s stomach grumble, and he knew that soon they would get up and get dressed, and then head out to get Keith something to eat. Maybe they would split a strawberry milkshake and things would be good. Great, even. But for now, Shiro wanted to stay in this moment as long as he could.

After a little while, he felt Keith shift against him, but he kept his eyes closed, unwilling to return to the real world yet. But then there were fingers running through his hair, and Keith’s lips pressed against his temple. “Don’t forget about me when you go,” Keith whispered.

Shiro swallowed, his eyes stinging. He laid still while Keith’s fingers carded through his hair, and if he didn’t know better he would’ve sworn he felt his heart crack in two.

***

Christmas came and went in a blur - watching Christmas movies with Minae, opening a present from Baba and Jiji early so he could wear his new sweater while he helped his Dad make his annual Christmas cake on Christmas Eve - by the time they were done, you could hardly see the pattern under all the flour. Minae took about a million pictures, giggling with Baba at the flour handprint Shiro somehow got on his butt. (Seriously, how had he done that?)

Keith and his parents came over for Christmas morning brunch, and Minae gave Shiro a huge grin as she pulled out her phone to show Keith all the photos from the day before (including the handprint). Shiro buried his face in his hands while they laughed at him.

The day after Christmas, Keith came over for Shiro's Dad's annual day-after-Christmas KFC feast, and Baba told the story about Keith and Shiro trading clothes so they could "trick" everyone when they were 5. Baba had played along and Shiro and Keith thought they were SO smart.

Keith hid behind Shiro, and Shiro was sure his ears were bright red. Baba patted his hand. "You both were so cute, I'm glad you're still friends."

Shiro nodded, stealing a glance at Keith, who was smiling softly, his cheeks still pink.

After dinner, Keith drove his dad's truck to the lake, popping the tailgate down so he and Shiro could climb in and snuggle in all the blankets and pillows he had brought for stargazing.

They laid down, holding hands, until Shiro kissed his way down Keith's chest and sucked a bruise onto the softest part of his belly. Keith looked down at him, his eyes glimmering, and bit his lip to keep quiet while Shiro sucked his dick like he'd never tasted anything so good before.

Afterwards, Keith almost ripped Shiro's jeans to return the favor.

After that, Shiro ran his hand down Keith's back while Keith rested his head on Shiro's chest. 

"What time's your flight tomorrow?" Keith asked.

Shiro swallowed. "8 am."

Keith nodded against his sternum, and Shiro ran his fingers through his hair, a silent apology.

The ride back to Shiro's house was quiet, and after Keith parked he turned to Shiro. "Can I have one last kiss?" he asked, and Shiro nodded. He had never been able to resist Keith, and now that he knew how Keith's lips felt on his he had no idea how he could go without it now.

Keith clutched at Shiro's coat, and Shiro kissed him hard. When they finally pulled away, Keith's lips were kiss-swollen and Shiro ran his thumb over his bottom lip before he realized what he was doing. "I'm going to miss you," he whispered.

Keith chuckled. "Me too. I always miss you, Shiro." 

Shiro took a breath, leaning in for one last kiss before getting out of the car, the sharp wind a shock after Keith's warmth.

***

One long travel day later, Shiro let himself into a dark apartment - his roommate must not be back from Vermont. 

He sighed, toeing his shoes off and leaving his suitcase for future Shiro to unpack in favor of brushing his teeth and washing his face and collapsing into bed.

The office was a ghost town the next morning, since most people took off until New Years. So he spent the next few days catching up on email and trying not to daydream about Keith too much. 

On New Years Eve, he was scrolling through his inbox when Allura came in. "Hey Shiro, how was your Christmas?"

"Good," he said, smiling up at her. "How was Colorado?"

"Great!" she said brightly. "It was so dreamy, you really need to go!"

"Yeah, I've always wanted to," he said, thinking about how much Keith would love skiing. 

She gave him a conspiratorial smile. "So, a few of us were going to go out for New Year's Eve tonight, would you want to come?"

Shiro nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, count me in."

***

Hours later, at a loud bar with a bunch of co-workers he barely knew, Shiro had regrets.

Chris from accounting kept hinting that he was interested in having someone to kiss at midnight, and Shiro was missing Bachelor Chris for the thousandth time when Matt clapped Shiro on the shoulder. 

"Hey Shiro, hey Curtis," he said. "Any New Year’s resolutions?"

Chris - no, Curtis - shrugged. "Just the usual. I think I'm finally going to try to run a marathon, this year." He turned to Shiro. "What about you, Shiro?"

Just then Allura squealed "It's almost midnight!"

Shiro looked at his phone. 11:56. "I've got to go."

Curtis' jaw dropped, but Matt just said, "A man on a mission, alright, let's go!" Shiro waved bye to Allura while Matt guided him toward the door, despite Shiro’s protests. "Go get him, Tiger," Matt said when they finally reached the door.

Shiro stared. "Wha- I never said..."

Matt rolled his eyes. "You've been checking your phone every 30 seconds and you have that lovesick puppy dog face you always have after you visit home."

Shiro blushed and Matt pointed. "Yeah! That one!" He clapped Shiro on the shoulder. "Go get your man, Shirogane!"

Just then an uproarious cheer broke out inside and Matt said, "Shit, it's midnight!" and planted an off-center smooch on Shiro's cheek. 

Shiro laughed and Matt poked his stomach. "Ok, you've had your good luck kiss, now go get him!"

Matt disappeared into the party and Shiro started to pull up flights on his phone when he remembered Hunk - his friend from the aerospace program who worked for an airline now.

He dialed the number, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. "Hey man, Happy New Year!" Hunk shouted over the sound of cheering in the background. "What's going on?"

"Hey, sorry for calling on New Years," Shiro said, with a pang of guilt. "I was wondering if you could help me catch a flight home?"

"Sure thing! What day?"

"Ummm... Tomorrow?"

Hunk whistled. "Damn, where'd this impulsive Takashi Shirogane come from?" 

Shiro laughed. "I don't know."

"Ok, I'll see what I can do, man. I'll keep you posted." There was another loud cheer in the background, and Shiro smiled to himself, running down the block to get his car.

***

Minae came to pick him up from the airport, and Shiro jumped into the passenger seat, tossing his carry-on over his shoulder to the back seat. 

"Ok, I'll drop you off at Keith's, but if things look like they're going well I'm leaving, I don't need to watch you guys make out."

"Minae!!" Shiro moaned and she smirked at him as she pulled away from the pick up lane.

"I'm glad you're finally making a move, I was thinking I might have to lock you both in your bedroom until you talked." Shiro dragged his hand down his face as she continued, "Or threaten you both with a super soaker, honestly it was getting a little ridiculous..."

"Minae, this is a terrible pep talk," he said.

"Right, right, sorry," she said. "It's going to go great, and you can gross us all out forever."

Shiro gave her a look and she patted his shoulder. "Seriously, he looks at you like you hung the moon, I think you'll be fine."

"Thanks, Minae," he murmured, trying to take deep breaths so he didn't hyperventilate.

***

After what felt like an eternity, Minae pulled up to Keith's house, and Shiro bolted out of the car. He was halfway up the walkway when Keith opened the door, his keys in his hand.

"Shiro?"

Shiro waved, and promptly died inside. "Hey, Keith."

Keith let the door swing shut behind him. "Are you... here for New Year's?"

Shiro shook his head. "No, I'm here to see you."

Keith blinked at him. "You are?"

Shiro took a deep breath. "Yeah. Someone asked me what my New Years resolution was, and all I could think about was you."

"Me?" Keith whispered.

Shiro nodded. "I miss you all the time. And before I thought we were both living our dreams, but then... My dream sort of fell apart, and I didn't know what to do. I still don't," he said with a laugh. "But I've been thinking maybe you were all I wanted all along. And maybe I've been breaking my own heart this whole time."

Keith let out a little gasp, and it vaporized into a puff of vapor, floating around his head like a halo.

"And I know we didn't talk about this," Shiro said, "and it's ok if you don't feel the same way, I just... I needed to tell you -"

Keith ran down the stairs and flung his arms around Shiro's neck. Shiro's feet slid on the slick walkway, sending them both tumbling back into the fresh snow. They stared at each other - and both burst out laughing.

Shiro heard a honk behind him and tilted his head back to see Minae wave and drive away. "Wait, is that your sister?" Keith asked.

"Yeah," Shiro said, and Keith blushed.

"That's embarrassing" he muttered, and Shiro laughed, mesmerized by the snowflakes in his eyelashes.

Keith caught him staring, and he smiled. "So, you flew all the way back here to ask me out?"

Shiro laughed again. "Yeah, I did." He brushed his nose against Keith's. "You gonna say yes?"

Keith furrowed his brow in mock thought, and Shiro leaned in to press a kiss to his jaw. "I guess I am," Keith said, and Shiro cupped his cheek, leaning up to kiss him. 

"I'm so stupid," he whispered, and Keith shook his head.

"I am too," he murmured. "I just... I didn't know..."

Shiro nodded, smiling up at him. "Me either."

Keith smiled, smug and pleased, and Shiro could get used to that look. "You gonna make it up to me?"

Shiro laughed, tangling his fingers in Keith's hair and accidentally knocking off his hat as he licked into Keith's mouth, stealing his breath.

"Ugh, gross, Keith! Get a room!" a voice squawked behind them. Keith looked up, glaring at Lance, standing in his driveway with his arms full of groceries.

"Fuck off, Lance. Aren't freshmen supposed to be back on campus already?"

"You _know_ I'm a senior!" Lance protested. "You're only a couple years older than me!"

Keith gave him the finger lazily, ducking down to kiss Shiro again, and Lance huffed grumpily.

Shiro laughed against Keith's lips. "He might have a point, baby."

Keith absolutely _melted_ at the pet name, and Shiro beamed up at him.

"Ok, I guess you're right," Keith said, standing up and holding out a hand for Shiro. 

They both walked up the path, hand in hand, and Keith asked "Wait, does your Mom even know you're here?"

"...no..." Shiro said, and Keith laughed.

"Well, I guess I have some time to welcome you home before you go surprise her," he said with a sly smile, pulling Shiro up the stairs. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! <3 I wasn't able to go home for Christmas this year, so it was kind of nice to write about Shiro's trip home. His family's traditions are a mix of my family's traditions and some Japanese traditions - mainly the Christmas cake (which has a totally fascinating history \- it turns out both cake emojis are Japanese Christmas cake!) and KFC for Christmas, which both sound really fun!
> 
> I hope you have a happy Holiday season and Happy New Year!! <3 You can find me over on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/bavariancookie) if you want to talk about Sheith!


End file.
